Basketball still a good time for Napier

Published 6:30 pm, Tuesday, July 29, 2014

SOUTH WINDSOR -- It was easy to pick out the NBA player among the 100 campers Tuesday afternoon at Nomad's Adventure Quest -- Shabazz Napier was the one having the most fun.

"He's like a big kid out there," said Napier's girlfriend, Mariah Michel, who drove down with the former UConn star from Massachusetts for the camp.

After a wild journey that included winning a national championship, graduating college and being taken in the first round of the NBA draft, Napier is enjoying some down time this week hosting a basketball camp for ages 8-16 with All Pro Sports.

"I was enjoying myself," Napier said during a break from the afternoon session of the camp. "This is about having fun. Kids this age just like to have fun playing basketball and I can kind of relate to that."

"I wanted to do something," said Napier, who hopes to have a camp in Connecticut and Massachusetts next year. "I'll probably have my official camp next year, but this is something I wanted to do and Tim got in touch with some people I knew and we just hit it off."

Some time off might have seemed like the most logical move for Napier after an already busy summer that included being drafted June 26 by the Charlotte Hornets, who immediately traded him to the Miami Heat, and playing in the NBA Summer League.

"I'm not a vacation-type of person," said Napier, who went from college graduate to auditioning for a job -- he worked out for 10 NBA teams prior to the draft -- since early May.

In 10 games with the Heat this summer, Napier averaged 10.3 points and 3.9 assists (43 turnovers) while shooting 30 percent overall and 23 percent on 3-pointers.

"It was different," Napier said about working with the Heat. "Understanding and learning new things and learning new plays was one of the biggest things that are different."

The one thing Napier wanted to make sure he didn't do while getting his feet wet in the NBA was to start viewing it as a job.

"I want to continue to have fun with the game of basketball," he said. "If you allow the business end to push you, then basketball doesn't become a game anymore, it becomes something more.

"I don't want basketball to be a job to me. I want it to be something I enjoy doing in my life."

The Heat, who open camp in September, have been to four straight NBA Finals, but will have a different look without star LeBron James on the roster. James expressed his admiration for Napier on Twitter during the NCAA tournament and prior to the draft.

"I don't really care," Napier said about James leaving. "It would have been great playing with him. It was his decision. I don't know him personally, so there are no emotions there."

Napier has enough to deal with on his own. He plans to enjoy some time with his family and friends in the Boston area before heading back to Miami to find a place to live and settle in prior to camp.

"It's just good to see my family," Napier said. "That's one of the things, all (the travel) makes you miss your family a lot. It's good to be back home."